FCRA Dispute Letter — Account Is Not Mine

Free FCRA dispute letter template for an account that doesn't belong to you. Cites 15 U.S.C. 1681i and triggers the bureau's 30-day reinvestigation duty.

When to use this template

Use this template when an account on your credit report is not yours - you never opened it, never signed for it, and have no relationship with the creditor. Common with mistaken identity (a relative with the same name) or early-stage identity theft.

Federal statutes invoked

15 U.S.C. § 1681i
15 U.S.C. § 1681e(b)
FCRA § 611(a)

Blank template

[Your Full Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]
[Date]

[Bureau Name]
[Bureau Address]

RE: Dispute of Account Not Belonging to Me - File No. [Your File/Report Number]

Dear Dispute Department,

I am writing to dispute the following item appearing on my credit report:

  Account: [Creditor Name and Account Number]
  Status:  [As reported]

This account does not belong to me. I have never opened an account with this creditor, never authorized anyone to open an account in my name with this creditor, and have no contractual relationship with them.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, I am requesting a reinvestigation of this item. I am also exercising my right under 15 U.S.C. § 1681e(b) requiring you to follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy.

If you cannot verify this account belongs to me, you must delete it from my file within 30 days of receipt of this letter and notify the other two nationwide consumer reporting agencies of the deletion.

Please send me the corrected report and the names of any furnishers you contacted in connection with this dispute.

Sincerely,
[Your Signature]
[Your Printed Name]

Enclosures: [Government ID copy], [Proof of address]

Filled-in example

Jane Q. Consumer
123 Maple Street
Anywhere, TX 78701
April 28, 2026

Equifax Information Services LLC
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, GA 30374

RE: Dispute of Account Not Belonging to Me - File No. EQX-7783121

Dear Dispute Department,

I am writing to dispute the following item appearing on my credit report:

  Account: Capital One Bank, account ending #4321
  Status:  Charge-off, $2,847 balance

This account does not belong to me. I have never opened an account with Capital One, never authorized anyone to open an account in my name, and have no contractual relationship with them.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, I am requesting a reinvestigation of this item. I am also exercising my right under 15 U.S.C. § 1681e(b) requiring you to follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy.

If you cannot verify this account belongs to me, you must delete it from my file within 30 days of receipt of this letter and notify the other two nationwide consumer reporting agencies of the deletion.

Sincerely,
Jane Q. Consumer

Enclosures: Driver's license copy, recent utility bill

(Names, addresses, and account numbers are fictional.)

If you don't get a response in 30 days

If the bureau verifies the account as accurate without providing investigation details, send a Method of Verification (MOV) request under FCRA § 611(a)(7). If the bureau misses the 30-day deadline, the item must be deleted - escalate to LawSensai's attorney network if it isn't.

Generate this letter, ready to mail

LawSensai pre-fills every field from your credit report, runs the FCRA citations, and offers $8.99 USPS certified mailing with return receipt - the gold-standard way to anchor the 30-day clock.

Use this template

Blank template

[Your Full Name] [Your Address] [City, State ZIP] [Date] [Bureau Name] [Bureau Address] RE: Dispute of Account Not Belonging to Me - File No. [Your File/Report Number] Dear Dispute Department, I am writing to dispute the following item appearing on my credit report: Account: [Creditor Name and Account Number] Status: [As reported] This account does not belong to me. I have never opened an account with this creditor, never authorized anyone to open an account in my name with this creditor, and have no contractual relationship with them. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, I am requesting a reinvestigation of this item. I am also exercising my right under 15 U.S.C. § 1681e(b) requiring you to follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy. If you cannot verify this account belongs to me, you must delete it from my file within 30 days of receipt of this letter and notify the other two nationwide consumer reporting agencies of the deletion. Please send me the corrected report and the names of any furnishers you contacted in connection with this dispute. Sincerely, [Your Signature] [Your Printed Name] Enclosures: [Government ID copy], [Proof of address]

Filled-in example

Jane Q. Consumer 123 Maple Street Anywhere, TX 78701 April 28, 2026 Equifax Information Services LLC P.O. Box 740256 Atlanta, GA 30374 RE: Dispute of Account Not Belonging to Me - File No. EQX-7783121 Dear Dispute Department, I am writing to dispute the following item appearing on my credit report: Account: Capital One Bank, account ending #4321 Status: Charge-off, $2,847 balance This account does not belong to me. I have never opened an account with Capital One, never authorized anyone to open an account in my name, and have no contractual relationship with them. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681i, I am requesting a reinvestigation of this item. I am also exercising my right under 15 U.S.C. § 1681e(b) requiring you to follow reasonable procedures to assure maximum possible accuracy. If you cannot verify this account belongs to me, you must delete it from my file within 30 days of receipt of this letter and notify the other two nationwide consumer reporting agencies of the deletion. Sincerely, Jane Q. Consumer Enclosures: Driver's license copy, recent utility bill

(Names, addresses, and account numbers are fictional.)